After the Fact
by alchemyfreak42
Summary: After FMA, Ed wakes in a hospital in London without his arm and leg. He meets the alternate Edward and Alphonse and is forced to ask his father for help. He meets more familiar faces, including one that scares the hell out of him. What will happen? Can Ed get back to Amestris? Disclaimer: FMA/FMAB aren't mine. DISCONTINUED B/C NOBODY LIKES THIS. UP FOR ADOPTION.
1. 1 A new world

Chapter One.

Ed opened his eyes, struggling to clear his mind. He was in a bed in an unfamiliar house. His right arm and left leg were missing, maybe from the transmutation that had saved (he hoped) Al and transported himself here...wherever here was. Had Al survived, or did Ed's existence on this side of the Gate mean that he had failed? Was it all for nothing? Despair gripped him for a moment, but Ed pushed the feeling away. He had to figure out a way back to Al, and that meant finding Hoenheim and learning about this world. But that could be hard with only two limbs. Suddenly a man came in, looking worried about something. He froze when he saw Ed, trying to sit up but failing, and bleeding like crazy.

"What the hell?!" He asked. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" he demanded.

Ed jerked, surprised, and lost his balance, falling to the floor. "Unngh, that really hurt," he groaned, trying not to pass out from blood loss. He was already dizzy, not a good sign. "Oh. Uh, sorry, I don't know what happened. Where am I?" Ed looked up, his bangs falling across his eyes.

"Who are you?" The man asked again, this time sounding more concerned than angry or surprised. He helped Ed sit up and lean against the wall.

"My name is Edward, but I go by Ed. Ungh!" He groaned, holding his shoulder tightly.

"Hold on kid, let me get my wife. Trish! Come here, give me a hand!" He yelled loudly.

"What is it dear?" A woman called, her footsteps echoing in the hallway.

I'm probably hallucinating from blood loss. That voice... Ed thought. Then she appeared in the door. "Wha-?" Ed choked, staring at the woman. She had chestnut hair and brown, caring eyes. Ed would know his mother's face anywhere. His left hand moved to his right shoulder of its own accord.

"Kid, you okay?" The man asked, peering at Ed's stricken face. The man grabbed the boy as he crumpled, unconscious, to the floor. "We need to get this kid to a hospital. He needs help." The man told his wife, already rising with Ed in his arms.

"Mom! Mom, look!" Al shouted, running up to his mother, Ed following closely.  
"What is it, dear?" Trisha asked, leaning down to take a small, crude figurine from Al's hands.  
"Ed transmuted it! Isn't it cool? I can still only do this one, though..." Al showed their mother a second figurine, a crude cow-like figure.  
"Well I think they're both gorgeous," she said, leaning down to hug her children.

The dream shifted. Ed was in the basement- they had just tried to bring their mother back. "No, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! It wasn't supposed to be like this! Al! AL! Give him back! ALPHONSE!"


	2. 2 Familiar Faces

This is for you, Peacexfreedom! I'm apparently dead set against studying tonight, so I decided to post this. Enjoy!

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Chapter 2

Ed opened his eyes to a hospital room, wondering what had happened. His mind was still foggy from his memory/dream/nightmare. He wasn't sure how it should be classified. It definitely wasn't anything that could be viewed as 'nice.' He groaned, automatically trying to rub his eyes, but remembered that his right arm was gone. Again.

"Oh, good, you're awake! You had us worried there." Ed's mother leaned over the edge of his bed, looking relieved. "You were bleeding badly and then collapsed, so we brought you here- to the hospital."

Ed wrinkled his brow in confusion. "M-mom? I- I don't understand, how are you here, you-" Ed's voice cracked. "You died...We missed you so much...how are you alive?Wait..." Ed froze. "Where is Alphonse? WHERE IS HE, DAMNIT?!" Ed looked around in terror.

"Are you feeling alright? I think you may have a fever." She went to the door of the room. "Nurse, can you come here a moment? I think this boy may have a fever; he's hallucinating."

Reality crashed in on Ed all at once. This woman wasn't his mother. She just looked, sounded, and smelled the same. This was the Other Side. The Other Side of the Gate. He'd been confused from crossing over, and then seeing his 'mom' and the blood loss. He clutched his shoulder, crying softly. The woman noticed and came over, compassion in her eyes. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mistake you. Just old memories and blood loss confusing me." Ed's voice was filled with unshed tears and bitterness at the world. "Tell me, ma'am. Have you heard of a man named Van Hoenheim?."

"Yes, of course. Everyone knows Professor Hoenheim. He came here years ago. Then he disappeared for a few months before coming back. Do you know him?"

"Uh, yeah. You could say that. Anyway, I hate to admit it, but I need his help. Do you think you could find him and give him a message for me?"

The woman nodded calmly. "What do you need me to tell him, I'm sure he'll be willing to help you." It was all she could to not to hug this poor child, and if he thought that man would help him, who was she to tell the boy otherwise? Hoenheim was nice enough, but he didn't get close to people. Occasionally, his eyes would spark with fear or recognition when he saw someone, as though it were a person who had been a tormentor in his past. He always covered up these reactions, though. But he could never completely cover the reaction when he saw Trish's face. He always looked shocked, then a mixture of love, longing, and sadness crossed his face before he turned back into a mask. Now this boy, this child, thought that man would help. He needed help desperately, and Trish was not a woman to say no to an injured child who had mistaken her for his dead mother.

Ed thought for a moment, then said "Tell him that Edward is back, but I don't know what happened to Alphonse and I need him. I still hate his guts, but I need the b-," Ed caught himself before he said 'bastard.' He knew this wasn't his mom, but it still felt wrong to call his father that in front of her. "The jerk," he corrected himself.

"Okay. So your name is Edward?" She asked, moving to the door.

"Yeah. I'm Edward-Edward Elric." She hurried away and Ed closed his eyes. _I hope he comes._ Ed thought. _I hate it, but I really need the bastard, even though he ran out on us. Maybe he can help, though. That might get me to forgive him...If he makes it so I can see Al again..._Ed relaxed and prepared to wait.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ed heard a commotion outside his room and looked up.

"Sir, he can't have any visitors right now, I'm sorry," a nurse protested.

"I don't CARE if you don't want me going in! That boy is desperate if he asked for me by name, and I am sure as HELL going to help him in any way I can, ESPECIALLY if it means he can go home or at least leave this hospital!" After another minute the nurse gave up, convinced that Hoenheim was entering the room with or without the doctor's permission. Hoenheim entered the room and froze at the sight of Ed, lying in a bed with only two limbs. _I wonder if this is what he looked like the first time._ He found his voice quickly, though, and said "Hello, son."

"Hoenheim." Ed said, his face uncertain.

Suddenly, Ed's father rushed forward to embrace his child. "I was so afraid. I saw the zeppelin crash and ran back as fast as I could, but by the time the boy woke, you had left his body. I didn't know if it meant you had died or returned to Amestris." Hoenheim carefully helped Ed into a sitting position, leaning back against a mound of pillows.

"So...the other Ed is okay?" He asked.

"Yes. He's alive, but was injured. The doctor told me you've been unconscious for three days. I brought the other Ed a few hours before you showed up. He's actually in the next room right now. So why did you ask for me? I know you hate me, but if you actually asked for me you must really be in trouble."

Ed coughed, embarrassed that his hatred was so obvious. "Do you, um, know of anywhere I can get a few limbs? I kind of lost mine."

Hoenheim looked at him thoughtfully. "The people here don't understand how to make it, but I know how. I can make them for you, then you should come stay with me in my apartment. It's not big, but I have a spare bedroom you can use. Besides. I'm your father and I need to make up for lost time. It should only take me a week and a half to make the arm and leg, but you need surgery, your automail ports are gone."

Ed groaned, "I don't want to have that surgery again! It was bad enough the first time, and connecting the nerves is bad enough on its own.

"There, there son," Hoenheim said, patting Ed on his uninjured shoulder. "You'll be fine- you're a strong boy; you can handle it, I'm sure.

Ed gave him a half-hearted glare as Hoenheim left the room, muttering about wirings and designs for a new arm and leg.


	3. 3 Alternate Ed

**For the record, this has been written for days. I have more, but it takes me a while to type it up, as I make minor changes as I go and basically re-read what I wrote. I enjoy my stories, and like most readers, don't usually know what is going to happen next. I once wrote a story and told someone what was happening. They asked what would happen next and I'm like 'How should I know?" Anyway, enough of the ramblling. **

**Ed: seriously, the rambling is annoying!**

**Me: Shut up Ed, I put you in this world and I can take you out of it!**

**Ed: Are you sure about that?**

**Me: meep. Here's the story. Go ahead**

**Oh, and 200 points to whoever gets the "are you sure about that?" reference. Hint: Will is totally amazing. **

* * *

Chapter 3

After an hour of sitting and thinking, Ed realized his stomach was growling. He was bored, so he asked a nurse to help him get to the cafeteria. She agreed only reluctantly after Ed explained that he was going to go insane just sitting there with nothing to do. She helped him move to a wheelchair and started pushing him down the hall. Passing the room next to his, Ed saw a flash of gold hair. He turned his head quickly to look, but they had already passed the room. He may have imagined it, but Ed could have sworn he'd seen his little brother. The nurse helped him get situated, then brought him a tray of food. He wolfed it down hungrily, but stopped and looked up when he noticed someone coming towards him. _ What the hell?_ Ed wondered, looking at the person coming forward. It was _him_- the other Ed. They looked almost exactly the same. They had the same features- jaw lines, builds, hair, eyes, etc. But there were differences. While Ed's hair was in a long braid, the other boy's was cut short. He had all of his limbs, though his left arm was in a cast and he walked with a limp. The other boy also had fewer scars- not unexpected, as Ed had lived a dangerous life in Amestris, as a state alchemist.

The boy sat down and examined Ed curiously."I heard I had a look-alike here. I just didn't expect you to look so..." He paused, looking for the right word. "Much like shit," He finally finished.

"Probably why I'm in a _hospital_." Ed responded coolly. "People in hospitals tend to have injuries. Frequently, they are bad. Mine fall among the 'bad' category. Yours, not so much," he said, gesturing to the other's limbs, meaning _you actually have two arms and legs, so don't rub it in, dipshit._

"Oh. Right." The other Ed had the grace to look embarrassed. "Anyway, I was hoping I could talk to you. Alone," he clarified, looking at the nurse.

"It's policy not to leave patients who are unable to walk unattended outside of their rooms." She told the two with a shake of her head.

"That's easy enough. We can go to your room." Other Ed looked at Normal Ed, a subtle threat in his eyes. _This guy means business. He wants something._ Ed thought.

He sighed. "Fine. I'm not that hungry anyway. Nurse?" She began pushing the wheelchair back the way they had come. Once the nurse had left, Other Ed closed the door.

"Okay, now you get to explain what the hell is going on. Professor Hoenheim acts weird around me all the time, like I should be dead or something. He asks me bullshit questions, like the meaning of the word 'transmute.' He brought me here, unconscious, after a Zeppelin crashed into me while I couldn't control my body. When I came to, he asked me what 'transmute' meant again. He was clearly worried when I asked him if he was sure he was sane. Further more, he was just here. Apparently, when Trish Halen told him about you, he ran-literally_ ran  
_the entire way here. That's four miles. So," His eyes narrowed. "You are going to explain to me _exactly_ what is going on, why the Professor is acting like that, why we have the exact same bodies, and most importantly, how and why you stole my body."

Ed took one look at his face and sighed. "You aren't going to let this go?" He asked. He knew the answer, but he had to check.

"Not a chance."

"This will take a while, and I don't know where to start." Ed thought for a minute, then began. "I come from another world, the country I live- lived- in is called Amestris. People use something called alchemy there. When you perform alchemy, it is called a transmutation. As I understand it, everyone there has a double over here. When your mind and soul cross the border, called the Gate, they are naturally attracted to the double, unless your body crosses too, in which case you keep it, minus the toll for crossing over. When I came over the first time, and hijacked your body, it was only my mind and soul. A crazy bitch named Dante sent me over. I ended up in your body. Apparently you were at Hoenheim's house, which is actually kind of convenient for me, because he explained all this to me. A zeppelin crashed and landed on me, and my mind and soul crossed back over after I was knocked out. Anyway, that's a different story. After I returned, I performed a transmutation that brought my mind, soul, _and_ body here. The reason Hoenheim reacted to you was he didn't know that stuff. He thought you were me, and I'm not exactly supposed to be here."

"Well, that does explain a lot. But what _happened_ to you? You seriously look like hell.

Ed looked away, hiding his face. Painful memories rose in his mind- his mother's death, their failed transmutation, Al's body... then later the homunculi running the country and Dante's wish to create a massive philosopher's stone. "An accident." He finally said, his voice rough.

Other Ed had the sense not to pursue the subject. "Hmm. I guess you don't want to talk about it. We haven't actually introduced ourselves, so I'm Edward Heidrick."

Ed was grateful for the change in subject. "Edward Elric, but I go by Ed. Nice to meet you, not me." the Eds shook hands formally, with their left hands because of the little detail that Ed was missing his right.

The boys looked up as someone knocked on the door, then entered. "Hey, I know you get bored in here Edward, so I brought you some books. They're those new research notes by that dude..." He trailed off, noticing for the first time that there were two Eds. "Uh, am I actually seeing two of you, or am I just losing it? Uh, one of you doesn't look so good," he commented, looking at Ed, who had gone completely white.

"Please tell me it's not you. Please." He said weakly. He shook himself a little, then asked "What's your name? I need to know your name." He was trembling and trying not to freak out.

"Uh, it's Alphonse. Alphonse Heidrick." He said nervously. "And, who exactly are you again?"

Ed's eyes shone with tears of relief. "Thank you. Thank you for not being my brother...for not knowing who I am...for letting there be at least _some_ decency in this world, or fate, or whatever it is." Ed smiled softly to himself. "So this is what you would look like, Al..." he murmured softly.

Edward's eyes widened "You mean..."

Ed nodded. "I have a little brother too. But I don't know-" his voice broke and he stopped for a second before continuing. "I don't know what happened to him. If he lived... or if he's dead. That's why" he looked at Alphonse "your face is a bit of a shock to me. You look the way he would have, if we hadn't been such morons. I haven't seen his face in five years. Just that damn armor.

"You mean your brother didn't take off his armor for _five years_? That's a little...excessive," Edward commented.

"Uh, not exactly." Ed started. "He kind of _was_ the armor. I don't know if he's still trapped in it or if he has a normal body now or if he's alive at all."

Alphonse looked at the two like they were crazy and he needed to leave the room before he lost _his_ marbles too. "Uh, yeah. Anyway, I'm going to leave these here." He said, quickly leaving the room.


	4. 4 Mistaken Identity

**For the record, I already had that planned. I've written a bunch of it already. Okay, I admit it. That wasn't how they originally met. I changed it because this way seems cooler. Am I right? AM I RIGHT?! please love me...**

**Riza: get on with the story**

**Me: what if I don't want to?**

**Riza: *cocks gun***

**Me: don't shoot, I'm typing!**

* * *

Chapter Four

Alphonse left the room quickly, as though he was afraid that the crazy was contagious. (A/N: Don't worry, I don't think crazy is contagious. I mean, I don't think I ever gave it to any of my friends... maybe they gave it to me? [hawkeye points gun] Ach! Okay, no more talking, I'm done, just don't shoot me!) Ed and Edward turned to go back to their conversation, but were interrupted again. "Sorry, boys, but this one" he gestured at Ed "needs rest. He's in bad shape and still isn't healthy. Hold on a second, are you okay?" He frowned at Ed, who's eyes were locked on his face in horror. "Do you have a fever? Here, let me see..." He hurried forward to put a hand on Ed's face, but the movement yanked Ed back out of his shock.

"No! Don't _touch_ me!" Ed shouted, jerking away. He thought frantically, trying to think of an escape. He scrambled from the bed and fell to the floor with a grunt. He tried to push himself up, but failed, still weak from blood-loss. He lay there panting while Edward gaped. "Damnit, Tucker. You killed your own wife. Then you murdered your daughter and dog, tricked my brother and nearly killed him. And now you're after me too." Ed's face twisted with emotion, flashes of fear, anger, pain, and confusion. A tear traced its way down Ed's face. "DAMNIT, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!" He screamed angrily.

"Calm down, man! He's just a doctor!" Edward yelled.

Ed's face became confused as the doctor knelt down in front of him, staying far enough away that he couldn't quite touch Ed. He looked at the torn boy in front of him and spoke softly, gentle and comforting, trying to convey what he was feeling. "Hey, calm down. I don't know what you're talking about. I know you're confused; you were hurt pretty badly when Trish brought you here. How about we start over, okay? My name is Dr. Howard, and I _save _lives, not destroy them. I don't have any children - I'm not even married. Now let's get you back into bed."

"Yeah. Okay, I guess. Sorry." Ed looked down to hide his embarrassment.

Dr. Howard turned to Edward "do you think you could help me out here? I don't want to hurt him. Oh, dear," he said frowning. "Looks like it's too late."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Edward asked.

Dr. Howard sighed. "He's reopened his wounds. You need stitches, kid." He called for a nurse, but Ed stopped him.

"No. No stitches."

The doctor frowned. "But you won't be able to heal as quickly! You need to heal as fast as you can."

Ed gave a small smile. "Actually, healing would be counterproductive. I can't let my arm and leg heal before the surgery, or we won't be able to install the ports." He stopped, remembering that there wasn't automail here. "Anyway, it's complicated. Either way, though, I'm not getting stitches."

Dr. Howard sighed again, annoyed that this boy didn't want to heal and wouldn't explain why. He turned to Edward, and the two put Ed back on his bed. "Fine, but I'm bandaging you up. I absolutely refuse to have a patient bleeding out in my hospital because he was too stupid to take stitches. We can give you some morphine if you want. It might make your mind a bit foggy, but you won't hurt as bad."

"No thanks," Ed replied firmly, shocking the doctor- he had fully expected a grateful acceptance of the drug. "I don't want it, and I'm strong enough not to need it. Just stop the bleeding and I should be fine."

"Are you sure? These are serious wounds."

"Positive. The pain will go away on its own eventually, and I can't afford letting something like this happen again. I don't want to forget where I am. Or rather, where I'm_ not_."

The man reluctantly began banaging Ed's shoulder, his thoughts running rampant. He couldn't help wondering who this young man was, He said he was strong enough to endure pain intense enough that hardened war heroes would be begging for relief, but he had panicked when he saw the face of a doctor. How and why was he nearly identical to Edward Heidrick, who had finally left the room so Ed could be re-bandaged. He was covered in scars all over his body. He paused on that thought, noticing something interesting. Ed's shoulder had pale scars, almost as though his arm had been lost long ago, and he'd put machinery in it's place. The area around his shoulder was paler than the rest of his body and had circular scars bolts may have been in at one point. The same was true of his leg. Why had this kid appeared in Trish Halen's house covered in blood, and how was he able to bear the pain without so much as a grunt? His body was made of corded muscle and he was clearly important to Professor Hoenheim- by now the entire hospital knew about the way he had rushed in with wild eyes, frantic to see the boy who had sent him that message. His eyes held pain beyond the years of a child and seemed to know something that he alone knew. He asked no questions, though. They would come later.


	5. 5 Mysterious Injuries

**Peacexfreedom asked why Edward was so willing to believe Ed's story. It's because, well, his body kind of got hijacked. That made it a lot easier to believe what Ed told him. Besides, Hoenheim started acting weird around Edward, remember? And he asked those weird questions. That's why Edward believes the story. By the way, I'm only updating every day because I've got these parts written down already. Oh, and would I lie to myself?...Maybe. I don't know. I'd have to be in that situation to find out. I'm not in a universe I'm not from...if I was, I wouldn't admit it anyway. I don't want to be dissected. So you'll never know if I'm an alien or not. Haha. Anyway, back to the story before Hawkeye *glances over shoulder nervously* shows up to shoot me...again.**

* * *

Dr. Howard sat back with a sigh. It had taken ages to bandage this kid because his shoulder and leg were in such bad shape. He left the room and came back with a tray of food before sitting in the chair next to the bed. It was question time. "Do you know what happened or where you are?"

"My dad told me this is London, right?"

"Yes." Dr. Howard paused, a thought striking him suddenly. "Wait, your dad? Your dad is Professor Hoenheim?" Ed nodded. "Well, that does explain why he was so desperate to see you, but he never mentioned having a son before."

"There's a reason for that," Ed said stiffly.

"Okay, then I won't press you about it, it's clearly a touchy subject. What's your name and how the hell did you end up in Trish Halen's house?"

"My name is Edward, but I go by Ed. And honestly, I'm not sure how I got into M-" He caught himself before he said 'mom,' that woman wasn't his mother. Trisha Elric had died a long time ago. "her house," he finished.

"Okay, next question. What the hell happened to you? How did you lose your arm and leg?"

Ed grasped for an answer that wouldn't get him put in an insane asylum for the rest of his life because 'I was teleported to this world by something called alchemy and that was the toll for coming here' probably didn't sound too good. He decided to skip that question. "It's complicated, doesn't make any sense at all, and I don't want to talk about it right now. So please continue."

Dr. Howard's eyes narrowed. The next question was the biggest one he had, the one that had been troubling him the most. "Okay, why is it that the tissue around your wounds is _old_ scar tissue, like something very similar to this happened a long time ago?"

Ed paled. Dr. Howard had struck a nerve, and Ed was terrified. He lost his composure, wilting visibly. He looked away and said "because...because it did."

Confusion and wonder dawned on the doctor's face, who asked (mostly to himself) "Who exactly _are _you, kid?"

Ed didn't answer immediately. He was remembering what Hawkeye and Havoc had said after Scar had blown up his automail. '_If the Great Edward can't use his alchemy, then he's...'_ "Just a useless teen with a grumpy-ass attitude... and no way home." He finally said. He looked the doctor in the eye firmly "Do you have any more questions?"

The doctor just shook his head mutely, then found his voice. "No...not right now anyways." His mind was reeling. The answers he had gotten had only made him more confused, and this kid needed rest, and had almost definitely been severely traumatized. Especially If this had happened before. He was hesitant to believe the kid about that, but the _look_ in his eye- filled with pain and agony and bad memories- had completely convinced him that either something like this really _had_ happened before, or Ed was just delusional. The doctor was leaning to believe the first option- the kid seemed fairly sane. Confused, yes. But definitely sane.

* * *

**Okay, so I've got another story. I think it's pretty good, but it's super sad. Ed gets tortured. I usually don't think up stuff like that, but it came to me. I didn't mean for it to, but when stuff comes, I am compelled to write it down. Not kidding. It doesn't leave me alone. I'm not sadistic by the way! I hate the bastard... I'll post the first part later and you guys can read it if you want.**


	6. 6 Automail-Again

**Okay, I have no idea what people are thinking. I've only gotten three reviews. Please tell me what you think, okay? Sorry about the short chapters, by the way. It looks way longer on paper- it took me 6 pages front and back to write down chapters 1-5. Not kidding.**

* * *

Ed: Amestrian Ed.

Edward: Earthling Ed.

* * *

In the days following Hoenheim's visit, Ed and Edward formed a strong bond. Edward had been studying rocketry in the local university before the accident, but was in the hospital to recover from the burns he'd gotten in the crash. Ed was immediately enthralled by the thought of flying planes and sending people to the moon. He read the complicated books Alphonse brought for his brother easily. When he wasn't reading science texts, he was talking with Edward or studying the world he'd been thrown into. He did stop answering Dr. Howard's questions- the only person he would talk with about his past was Edward, as Hoenheim hadn't returned yet. When he asked, a nurse told Ed he'd locked himself in his basement, where machinery could be heard at any time of day or night.

Everyone thought Ed was recovering remarkably well. He stopped screaming when he saw Dr. Howard if he was fuzzy-minded from sleep or pain medications. He stopped calling Trish Halen 'mom' and even stopped staring at Alphonse like a ghost. He seemed like a boy who'd been through a horrible experience, but was recovering quickly. On the inside, though, Ed was miserable. He grew adept at hiding his emotions, and forced himself to stay calm when he saw people who were dead- in his world, anyway.

Almost two weeks after he'd left, Hoenheim walked in to see the two boys talking about some theory or other. "Sorry I took so long, it's been a while since I did this, so it took me longer than it should have. I brought everything you need, even new ports. I can operate right now."

Ed's face turned a slightly greenish color. "Right now?" he asked weakly. "I didn't expect it so soon." The very thought of the port installation was almost more than he could bear- he still vividly remembered the pain from his operation five years ago.

Edward examined his friend's face. "What are you talking about? You look like you're going to barf, Ed."

"Automail surgery." Ed told him, holding his stomach. "It's extremely painful. Usually takes people at least three years to go through rehabilitation. And I look like I'm going to hurl because I think I might."

"Oh, come on son," Hoenheim said. "The sooner we start, the sooner the pain goes away."

Edward blinked. "Son?" Realization dawned on him. "Ooohhh. Well _that_ explains a lot." (**A/N: remember, Ed told the doctor that Hoenheim was his dad, not Edward.**)

"What do you mean, Edward?" Hoenheim asked.

"The way you react when you see me," Edward explained. "When we first met, you looked at me like you'd seen a ghost. And you were with me when I woke after having my body hijacked by Ed. You're the one who brought me here, remember? And you were acting really weird when I woke up- remember the questions you asked?"

"Oh,yeah. Sorry about that. Anyway, Ed- you want to get started?"

"Not particularly," he said, still holding onto his stomach.

"Oh, don't be like that. Come on. I'll have the nurses bring you to the operating room, then we can start." Ed groaned, but couldn't convince Hoenheim to wait longer. "If we wait, we may not be able to install the ports at all. You know as well as I do that if the wounds heal, it becomes impossible to do the surgery." He left, and a pair of nurses entered the room with a gurney.

* * *

In the operating room, Hoenheim was dressed in a white lab coat and gloves. "Now Ed, you have two options. One, we put you to sleep during the operation. Two, we strap you down so you can't fight us, but you get to stay awake."

"I'll stay awake," Ed said firmly. "Just give me something to bite down on and I'll be fine."

Suddenly, a man with dark hair and a very red face burst into the room. "What is going on here?" He demanded furiously. "You aren't a doctor, Hoenheim! You have no license- you have no right to perform surgery, _especially_ not on a child! You aren't even putting him to sleep for crying out loud!" He was poking Hoenheim in the chest, his dark eyes blazing.

Hoenheim's eyes narrowed. When the man stopped for breath, Hoenheim interrupted, his voice like ice. "The fact that I have no license that you are aware of does not mean that I am not an expert in the medical field. Furthermore, the 'child' you mentioned and who I am about to operate on is my _son_, who will never again be able to function like a normal human being without this procedure. Finally, I _offered _him anesthesia, but he refused. He knows just how painful this surgery will be, and he is mature enough to make his own decisions about this. If he believes he doesn't need to be put to sleep, then I have no objections."

"If this surgery is so important, then why not have a _real _professional do it? I will not stand for unlicensed doctors operating here!"

"I can't have a 'real' professional do it because I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who knows how to do this operation."

"Hah! Why do you think that?"

"Alright," Hoenheim agreed. "Do _you_ know how to install automail ports? Hell, do you even know what that means?" The man glared but didn't answer. "Then it's settled. _I_ will operate on my son, and _you_ will kindly get out of this room before I get angry and hurt you by mistake." His voice wasn't that of a caring father doing something for his son or a doctor explaining a complicated procedure to his patient- it was that of a man whose mind had been made up, and was dangerously close to losing his temper and doing something very bad to someone he hated, but was struggling to restrain himself.

"Hey, can we hurry up over there? I'm cold," Ed interrupted. "And bored. Hey angry dude, you might want to leave now. You wouldn't like him when he gets mad." The 'angry dude' stormed out of the room.

Hoenheim turned to his son, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Now that that's settled, we can get on with this." For the next few hours, Hoenheim was engrossed in his work, not looking up except to request a tool from the nurse. During the operation, Ed strained against his bonds as Hoenheim had known he would. Yells of raw pain escaped through the thick leather Hoenheim had brought. When it was over, the pain didn't stop, but it faded slightly. It would keep hurting for at least a week. At least it wasn't constantly flaring though, with the complicated parts of the operation.

Hoenheim looked at his son with tired eyes. He'd been straining to make sure everything was connected properly and the port was secure and wouldn't just fall out. Now Ed was asleep, sweat plastering his hair to his face. "Come on, let's get him to his bed. He'll be alright eventually, but right now he's in pain and needs to rest." He looked st the nurse as they shifted Ed onto the gurney for transport. "Thank you for helping me. I couldn't have done it alone and you were wonderful."

She blushed softly. "No sir, you were the one who did it. I just handed you what you needed." She looked at Ed. "But he was the bravest. He must be very strong to be willing to go through that, especially if what you said back there is true- about him knowing how painful it would be." She stopped talking when they reached the room. They put Ed on his bed, then set up an IV to provide fluids. Ed's father then grabbed a chair from the wall and pulled it over to the bed so he could watch over his sleeping son.

* * *

**Yeah, that's pretty much all I have written so far, so the updates will probably slow down. Especially as this is exam week. PLEASE REVIEW! I need some motivation, and if I think everyone hates this, I might not write anymore. Sob, sob. please love me...**


	7. Author's note thingy

Yeah, nobody seems to like this, so I'm going to stop writing it. If you want more, tell me and I'll put more on. But at the moment, nobody seems to like it so I'm not going to waste my time on something people hate.


	8. 7 Explanations

**Hey, so I am going to continue this story because a whole 2 people asked me not to stop. Kinda sad, but it's more than nothing. I know it's cliche, but don't forget what Christmas is really about. For a while, my relationship with the Lord has been rough, but I think I may be back on track. Pray that I grow closer to Him, I can't do it alone. I need help. You may proceed.**

* * *

Hoenheim looked up as the doctor who'd tried to interrupt Ed's surgery walked into the hospital room, followed by the hospital's stern-faced CEO.

"Now, Hoenheim. What's this I hear about you operating here? You know you aren't allowed to perform surgery."

Hoenheim stood. "You don't understand sir, the patient is my son," he began.

"All the more reason for you _not_ to operate. Personal attachments can interfere with a doctor's focus and ability," the CEO cut in. "Please explain to me what you were thinking."

"I was _thinking_ that I wanted my son to be able to live a semi-normal life, despite the fact that he has lost two limbs. Had I waited even another few hours, that would have been impossible. It was hard enough to operate when we did." Hoenheim spoke clearly and concisely.

The CEO looked at him thoughtfully. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The operation I performed will allow him to use metal prosthetics that are attached to his nerves as he would an ordinary flesh and blood limb. It has to be done before the wounds heal, though, or it can't be done at all. It's a complicated procedure, and I am the only person in this world who can do it. I used to know some specialists, whom Ed would no doubt have preferred, but that is neither here or now."

"I see." The CEO scratched his chin, noticing the almost unnoticeable stress on '_this_ world'. "I'd like you to tell me more about this automail, if you don't mind. Come have tea with me, and we can talk."

Hoenheim shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, but I'd like to wait until my son wakes up. I need to make sure he's okay. He should be fine, but it's always better to wait and have nothing bad happen than to assume nothing will go wrong and end up losing your patient."

The CEO nodded. "Spoken like a true doctor. Very well, you may wait to be sure your son will stay stable, but then I expect you to come see me right away." He noticed the reluctance on Hoenheim's face. "That isn't a request, Hoenheim. If you don't want to talk to me about this automail, I could always have you arrested for operating without a license." He left the threat lingering in the air.

Hoenheim sighed. "Alright, I'll talk with you, _after_ I make sure Ed is fine, but this information is confidential and I expect it to stay that way."

The CEO nodded somberly "So long as you explain, I'm fine with keeping it quiet."

* * *

"Good of you to come, Mr. Hoenheim. I don't believe we've ever actually met. I'm Curt Nathans." The two men shook hands. They were in the CEO's private office on the top floor of the hospital.

"My name is Van Hoenheim, Mr. Nathans."

"Just call me Curt, "Mr. Nathans" is so formal, and I usually don't stand on that," Curt said as he poured tea into a pair of china cups.

"Then call me Hoenheim. Nobody has called me 'Van' in a long time; most people just call me Hoenheim."

Curt nodded, his eyes glinting curiously. "Now I think it's time for you to tell me about yourself, Hoenheim. Where are you from?"

Hoenheim hesitated slightly before answering. "Far away. Very far away."

Curt noticed the hesitation and jumped on it. "But where? I never heard of you until a few months ago."

"I'm from a small rural village called Resembool."

The CEO's eyes narrowed as Hoenheim tried to dodge his question. "Look here, Hoenheim. I am trying to talk to you and to understand something. I need you to talk to me. I know you aren't from around here; I've heard the rumors about you, and I noticed you said you are the only person in _this_ world who can perform the prosthetic operation, which I have never heard of. Now, you have two options: one, you come clean and tell me everything- and I mean _everything_- or two, you can be arrested for operating without a license."

Hoenheim sighed. "This is going to take a while," he said, and began to tell his story, telling about Amestris, where they used alchemy, and how Dante had transported him to Great Britain, where he had built a life as a professor. He left out the parts about the philosopher's stone, though, not wanting to go into that.

Hoenheim waited patiently as Curt gazed at him. "So you're telling me that you are from a different world where people use something called alchemy and have metal prosthetics?"

"Yes."

The man put his hand on his chin. He was a good judge of character, and could tell that Hoenheim was telling the truth- or a lot of it, anyway. He decided not to push for more information about the parts he had avoided- parts that involved the woman who had sent him here, Dante, or details about his personal life.

"I assume you would want to go back, if you could?" He asked cautiously. He had heard rumors of a man who made metal limbs for years now, but had pushed them off as mere rumors, modern legends.

Hoenheim looked surprised. "Yes, of course. I would prefer Ed got back though, if it could only be one of us. He has a whole life ahead of him, and I'm already an old man."

Curt scribbled a name on a scrap of paper. "Go to this man. He may be able to help you. I have heard his name; if you could find him, he may be able to aid you. In the meantime, you can care for your son. Make sure he is healthy. I'd like to talk to him too, if an opportunity ever arises- I'd like the chance to examine his...automail." He paused before the last word, as though tasting the word.


End file.
